“A sweeping range of objections, truly. May I ask another question?”
“Forty, if you like.”
“Who is that old woman I met on the stairs a little while ago?”
“Old woman! I’ve seen no old woman.” Mrs. Dainty emphasized the last words.
“A middle-aged woman, then, with a hard—almost wicked—face. She was dressed in black.”
“Our new governess, probably,” said Mrs. Dainty.
“That old hag your new governess!” Uncle John felt outraged, and spoke intemperately.
“I beg of you not to use such language, Uncle John.” Mrs. Dainty affected calmness, and spoke in a tone of quiet rebuke. “The person to whom you refer is an accomplished English lady, whose husband—a man of rank, I believe—died in the East India Company’s service.”
“Poh! A cast-off, superannuated lady’s maid, more like!” retorted Uncle John, with overflowing indignation.
“This is insufferable!” exclaimed Mrs. Dainty, losing temper.